The Hartford Wolf Pack completed their wild stretch of six games in eight days on Friday. Throughout the trio of contests, the team showed impressive resiliency, posting a 1-1-1-0 record.
Wednesday – Hartford Wolf Pack 2, Bridgeport Islanders 1
The Wolf Pack continued their six-in-eight stretch last Wednesday night, hosting the Bridgeport Islanders for the eighth installment of the Battle of Connecticut this season. For the second straight matchup, Hartford found the icebreaker. Daylan Kuefler was whistled for slashing just 4:10 into the contest, giving the Wolf Pack the game’s first powerplay opportunity. On the ensuing man advantage, Nikolas Brouillard found open space and snapped a shot from the point. Jake Leschyshyn, parked in the slot, tipped Brouillard’s shot past Ken Appleby to give the Wolf Pack the game’s first lead.
Brennan Othmann doubled the Hartford lead in the second period. Leschyshyn attempted to set up Tyler Pitlick going towards the goal, but his pass was broken up. Appleby couldn’t cover the loose puck, and it popped to Othmann. The rookie forward promptly went bar down over the Bridgeport goaltender to stretch Hartford’s lead to two. Officials briefly waved the goal off, but upon further review, the tally stood as Othmann’s 14th of the campaign.
Bridgeport drew within one about eight minutes later. Matthew Maggio sprung loose on a partial breakaway before crossing up Dylan Garand to make it a one-goal game. Karl Henriksson had a chance to reinstate the two-goal lead with a shorthanded breakaway, but Appleby came up with a big save to keep the deficit at one.
Injuries to Anton Blidh and Riley Nash forced Hartford to play with just ten forwards for the final minutes of regulation. Bridgeport pushed for the equalizer, pulling Appleby in favor of the extra skater. However, Garand slammed the door shut, preserving the 2-1 victory for the Wolf Pack.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith had a lot of praise for Garand after the game, telling The Calder Times:
He came up with saves at key moments. I don’t think he had to be great tonight, but he made saves at the right time. He certainly gave us an opportunity to win.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith on Dylan Garand’s performance vs. Bridgeport, 2/21/24
Thursday – Cleveland Monsters 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 3 (SO)
The Wolf Pack continued their three-in-three on Thursday night, hosting their final matchup against the Cleveland Monsters this season.
Hartford quickly found themselves in a deep hole. Tag Bertuzzi took a hooking minor just 4:21 into the contest. Monsters captain Brendan Gaunce quickly capitalized on the advantage, tipping a shot from defenseman Marcus Björk to break the ice. About four minutes later, the Monsters scored their second powerplay goal of the night. Jake Christiansen found the back of the net after Brandon Scanlin went off for tripping.
The Wolf Pack had an opportunity to cut the lead in half when Jake Gaudet went to the box for interference early in the second period. However, the Monsters instead tripled their lead, as Roman Ahcan sprung on a breakaway before burying a shorthanded goal.
However, Hartford quickly answered back. While still on the powerplay, Leschyshyn quickly snapped a pass to Pitlick in the slot. The veteran went bar down over Monsters goaltender Jet Greaves to get Hartford on the board. It was Pitlick’s first goal since being assigned to Hartford on February 14th.
Bertuzzi was sent back to the box for tripping midway through the final stanza, allowing Cleveland to put the game out of reach. However, Brett Berard had other plans. The rookie forward collected a loose puck at neutral ice before speeding towards the Cleveland net on a breakaway and ripping a shot by Greaves’ glove to draw Hartford within one.
Samuel Knazko went off for delay of game late in regulation, and Hartford opted to pull Louis Domingue for the two-skater advantage. Pitlick took a shot that Greaves turned aside, but Brouillard grabbed the rebound and slid it to Ryder Korczak. Korczak rifled a shot over Greaves to tie the contest.
A Well-Earned Point
Neither team could take the lead in the final minutes of regulation, sending the game to overtime. It was the second time the Wolf Pack and Monsters required the extra frame this season – the sides previously went to overtime on December 6th, where Cleveland collected a 4-3 win.
Unlike the December matchup, the netminders held strong in overtime. Domingue made four saves, while Greaves denied Brouillard on a dangerous chance to keep the game tied and send the sides to a shootout.
Berard and Trey Fix-Wolansky traded goals in the first round of the shootout. The goaltenders locked in from there, stopping each of the next three shots they faced. Finally, in the shootout’s fifth round, Greaves made a glove save on Adam Sýkora, while Hunter McKown scored to deliver the win and the extra point to Cleveland.
After the game, Wolf Pack interim head coach Smith commented on his team’s resiliency, telling The Calder Times:
I still have a certain sadness, because we lost the game, of course. But I think it was a well-earned point. It could’ve went completely sideways. I felt like we built something as the game went on, and I’m glad that we got a point out of it.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith on his team’s performance in their 4-3 shootout loss to Cleveland, 2/22/24
Veteran forward Pitlick echoed the sentiment, telling The Calder Times:
It was a big point. Being down 3-1, you could easily give up. We battled hard all game, and it was a good effort from everybody.
Wolf Pack forward Tyler Pitlick after the team’s 4-3 shootout loss to Cleveland, 2/22/24
Friday – Springfield Thunderbirds 6, Hartford Wolf Pack 3
The Wolf Pack wrapped up the six-in-eight stretch on Friday night, traveling up I-91 to Springfield for a matchup against the rival Thunderbirds.
Pitlick broke the ice, finding twine for the second time in as many nights. Hugh McGing attempted to clear the puck out of the Springfield zone, but it ricocheted off a T-Bird and popped toward the slot. Pitlick grabbed the loose puck and ripped a shot by the blocker of Colten Ellis to give Hartford the game’s first lead.
Matthew Robertson doubled the lead less than a minute later. Brouillard took a shot from the top of the zone that Ellis turned aside. Robertson quickly buried the rebound to put Hartford up by two.
However, the Wolf Pack quickly found themselves in penalty trouble. Blake Hillman was sent off for roughing, and Scanlin went to the box for cross-checking just 38 seconds later. Dylan Coghlan capitalized on the two-skater advantage six seconds later, potting a powerplay goal with a shot from the point. Adam Gaudette tied the contest just under a minute later, burying the rebound off a Coghlan shot to even the score.
Hartford was again forced to play down two skaters in the second period. Blade Jenkins and Robertson went to the box for hooking and cross-checking, respectively. Ryan Suzuki scored Springfield’s third powerplay goal of the contest to give the T-Birds their first lead.
The Comeback Falls Short
However, Hartford battled back again, tying the score 20 seconds into the third period. Leschyshyn forced a turnover in the Springfield zone and set up Berard in the slot. Ellis denied Berard’s chance, but Pitlick buried the rebound to tie the game at three.
That was as close as Hartford would get on this night. Zach Dean put Springfield in front for good with a shot from the high slot. Joseph Duszak doubled the lead just over six minutes later, and Gaudette hit the empty net to cap off the scoring. The loss dropped the Wolf Pack to 2-3-0-1 on the six-in-eight, earning five out of a possible twelve points.
A Special Teams Showcase
Thursday’s Wolf Pack-Monsters game was a special teams showcase.
Six goals were scored in regulation – none at even strength. Each team recorded two powerplay goals and a shorthanded goal. As previously mentioned, the game ended in a shootout, with the Monsters taking home the extra point.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Smith noted the oddity after the game, telling The Calder Times:
I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a game where there’s no even strength goals and there were six scored on the night.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith after Hartford’s game vs. Cleveland, 2/22/24
Smith, of course, has been around the game of hockey for a long time. Smith played 804 games at the NHL level and has spent 15 years as a coach in the NHL and AHL. That’s a lot of hockey, which shows you how rare it is to see a game like this.
Three New Faces
If you paid attention to the Wolf Pack’s three-in-three last week, you saw some new faces suit up in the Connecticut capital.
The Wolf Pack signed forward Ethan Keppen to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) on Wednesday. This season, Keppen has recorded 30 points (12 G, 18 A) in 45 games between ECHL Maine and Fort Wayne. The forward has previously suited up for the Utica Comets, Abbotsford Canucks, and Charlotte Checkers at the AHL level.
The club made a pair of transactions on Thursday. First, the Wolf Pack signed forward Cam Hillis to a PTO. Hillis has recorded 52 points (17 G, 35 A) in 49 games with ECHL Indy this year. He previously suited up for the Laval Rocket and Rockford IceHogs at the AHL level and made his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens on January 1st, 2022.
Finally, the Wolf Pack recalled forward Sahil Panwar from ECHL Cincinnati. Panwar signed a one-year contract with Hartford in July. He’s recorded 38 points (16 G, 22 A) in his inaugural professional campaign with the Cyclones. Panwar made his AHL debut on Thursday.
The Wolf Pack are in a tough spot. They’re currently missing half of the forwards from their Opening Night roster. Alex Belzile, Jonny Brodzinski, Adam Edström, and Matt Rempe have all been recalled by the New York Rangers, while Blidh, Nash, and Bobby Trivigno deal with injuries. Hartford was also without Othmann on Thursday night, as the rookie forward was recalled for the Rangers’ game vs. New Jersey. They’ll have to rely on players like Keppen, Hillis, and Panwar until some of their forwards can return.
Everything’s Coming Up Rempe
Matt Rempe has taken the NHL by storm.
The young forward has captured the attention of NHL fans for his fighting ability, but on Saturday, he added another achievement to his résumé. Rempe scored his first NHL goal when a deflection from Barclay Goodrow bounced off his leg and into the net.
The goal also went down as the game-winner.
Rempe’s known for his toughness, physicality, and fighting, but he’s got a great net-front presence. Seeing him rewarded with an NHL goal, even one as ugly as this, is exciting for Wolf Pack fans.
Up Next
The Wolf Pack wraps up February by hosting the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.
Then, the Wolf Pack kicks off March at home, hosting the Laval Rocket. The puck will drop at 7:00 pm. Hartford will wrap up the weekend in Providence, taking on the Bruins on Sunday afternoon. The puck will drop at 3:05 pm.
